Sam Logan: Publisher of the Michigan Chronicle dies at 78

Sam Logan, a legendary Detroit newsman and publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, died Wednesday at his Detroit home at age 78.

“Sam Logan was more than a Detroit icon, he was a respected pioneer in black journalism who championed the need for coverage of a community not totally served by the mainstream media,” Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said in a statement. “More importantly, Sam was a loyal friend who will be deeply missed by all Detroiters. My heartfelt sympathies are extended to Sam’s family.”

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano called Mr. Logan a man who “worked tirelessly for his craft and was a man of extreme integrity. He has been a trailblazer in his field and an accomplished journalist whose legacy will live on for our community to learn from and be inspired by.”

Born in 1933, Mr. Logan hailed from Colquit, La., and moved to Detroit with his mother and brother to the Black Bottom neighborhood when he was 14. He graduated in 1950 from Commerce High School and joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper. He received a business degree from the University of Detroit two decades later.

Mr. Logan married in the late 1950s, had two children and divorced. He later had two more children.

After working in public relations for WCHB-AM (1200) and WCHD-FM (now WDMK-FM, 105.9), Mr. Logan met then Michigan Chronicle Publisher Longworth Quinn in 1961 and spent nearly four decades at the paper — from delivering papers to writing to becoming publisher in the mid-1980s.